Introduction
In level 3 of modular courses it can sometimes be difficult to provide students with a full range of modules to meet all needs. It is common practice to offer “independent study modules” to cater for this and to allow students to pursue any particular interests they may have. These allow students to pursue their interests with only a minimal amount of staff input. (Note that the word “independent” indicates this relative lack of structured staff input – there may be two or more students working together on the same topic.) Our experience of such modules is that they can be problematical – on occasions they can end up consuming more staff time than had been anticipated and can result in students not achieving appropriate learning outcomes. Undergraduate students are often neither good at organising their own learning nor at the self-analysis which is needed for them to become effective learners. This contrasts with the approach within say the teacher education community where the model of “the reflective practitioner” informs the learning process.
